Norwell one of 16 sites for World Radiosport Team Championship

The World Radiosport Team Championship brings together top amateur – or Ham – radio operators from around the world to see who can contact the most stations in a 24-hour period.

By Julianne Atwaternorwell@wickedlocal.com

Sixteen New England communities, including the Norwell section of Wompatuck State Park, were selected as operating sites for the world’s premier amateur radio competition, which takes place July 9-14.

The World Radiosport Team Championship brings together top amateur – or Ham – radio operators from around the world to see who can contact the most stations in a 24-hour period.

New England was able to beat out Bulgaria as host of the competition in part because July marks the 100th anniversary of the American Radio Relay League, according to Randy Thompson, who has competed in five WRTC events and is in charge of marketing communications for WRTC 2014.

“This whole concept started in the U.S. in 1990 and then went off to all other countries,” Thompson said. “Considering the ARRL anniversary, we thought this was the perfect time to bring the competition back to the U.S.”

The first two competitions were held in Seattle and San Francisco in 1990 and 1996, respectively. Since then, Slovenia, Finland, Brazil, and Russia have hosted the event.

Once New England was named as the 2014 host, organizers faced the challenge of finding suitable operating sites for the 59 two-member teams participating in the event. Each site must be located on flat land, according to Thompson.

“It’s a big advantage to be on top of a hill or near the ocean, and a big disadvantage to be in the valley,” he said.

Organizers eventually found 65 sites, one for each team plus six spares, in public parks, conservation lands, schools, and even an airport. Sites range geographically from Hollis, N.H. down to the Myles Standish State Forest, which straddles the Carver-Plymouth border, according to the event’s website. Eight of the operating sites are located within Wompatuck State Park.

“We found various places off of trails that we could get to that were out of the way, but still met the requirements for being level,” Thompson said.

Ham radio competitions are held almost every weekend, according to Thompson.

“But in those competitions, we’re all competing from home,” he said. “We can compare our scores to other operators in our area, but we don’t know where they were set up, if they were near an ocean or on a hill.”

The WRTC removes all of those variables and brings the top competitors to one place.

“This competition allows operators to find out how they really compare to people in other parts of the world,” Thompson said. “This is the big stage, the Olympics of Ham radio.”

Teams from 31 countries qualified for the WRTC after a series of 55 qualifying events over a three-year period. Scores are calculated based on how many countries are contacted. Each station has a point value, so it’s worth more to contact stations farther away from the host country. The top teams are expected to contact around 100 countries over the 24-hour span this year.

Though the WRTC is a competition, it also works as a gathering place for amateur radio operators from around the world.

“The social part is almost as important as the competition,” Thompson said. “In Ham radio, we talk to people around the world all the time, but the WRTC allows us to actually meet each other. It’s a pretty big deal to win and get bragging rights, but it’s also just fun to meet everyone.”

Over 450 volunteers will arrive on Wednesday, July 9, to set up the operating sites for the competition, which takes place from 8 a.m. Saturday June, 12 to 8 a.m. Sunday, June 13.

Between volunteers, competitors, referees, and other guests, Thompson expects about 700 people to come to the event.

“Unfortunately, it’s not much of a spectator sport,” he said. “It isn’t very exciting to watch two guys sitting in a tent for 24 hours straight.”

Being a good Ham radio operator requires a lot of practice, time, and understanding.

“You have to deal with language and cultural barriers, weather, and time of day issues,” Thompson said. “It’s fascinating though because it’s never the same. Like in fishing, you never know what you’re going to catch. You never know who you’re going to get in touch with.”